Joseph l



(No Model.)

J. L. CROWLEY. HITOHING DEVICE.

No. 505,894. Patented Oct. 3, 1893.

V 1 m I 7 g I awventoz- Qwi/tmoaw Y fi l rowl UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH L. CROWLEY, OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS, ASSIGN OR OF TVVO-THIRDS TO JOHN R. CUSHMAN AND EDWARD C. BARKSDALE, OF SAME PLACE.

HITCHING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 505,894, dated October 3, 1893.

Application filed April 17, 1893- Serial No. 470,719. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH L. CROWLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fort Worth, in the county of Tarrant and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Hitching Attachment, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in hitching attachments, and has for its object to provide a simple and inexpensive attachment for vehicles, adapted to be readily applied by the driver, to connect a weight with the bit of a draft-animal, and capable of being readily adjusted to relieve the animal of the weight.

With this and other objects in view the invention consists of the construction and arran gement of the parts thereof as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a hitching attachment constructed in accordance with this invention and shown applied to a vehicle. Fig. 2 isadetail perspective view of the clamp detached. Fig. 3 is a view similar'to Fig. 2, showing the employment of a different form of spring. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section of a modified form of construction.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates a weight suspended from the bed of avehicle by means of a strap 2, said weight being also connected to the rear end of a hitching-strap 3, extending through a staple 4, on the spring or sill of a vehicle and from thence passes forwardly and is connected with the bit of the horse or other animal hitched to the vehicle. It will be understood that the attachment may be used equally well with a double team and the operation will remain the same.

The lifting-strap 2, by means of which the hitching attachment is operated, extends through an opening 5 in the bottom of the bed of the vehicle and also through an opening in a clamp 6 in alignment with the aforesaid opening. The said clamp 6 comprises a 'box or casing that is closed at one end and open at the opposite end and at the bottom and top thereof, and comprises a horizontal securing-flange 7, to receive screws or other fastenings to hold the clamp to the bottom of the vehicle, and on three sides vertically rise flanges 8, between which is mounted a tongue 9. It will be observed that the box or casing is of integral formation, and the closed end thereof formed by the end vertical flange on the rear side is inclined rearwardly and serrated or roughened as at 10. The front end of the tongue 9 is formed with an enlarged head 11 to snugly fit within the front vertical flanged part of the box or casing, and has its front surface also roughened or serrated,

as at 12. When the tongue assumes its normal position the head 11 thereof presses closely against the rear side 10 of the front closed wall and the frontsurface of said head 11 being also rearwardly beveled when elevated, a space is formed between the said head and the said rear inclined side 10 of the front end, and between the said two surfaces 10 and 12 the upper end of the strap 2 is passed adjustably and held in its adjusted position. The rear end of'the tongue 9, on its upper surface, is also roughened or serrated, as at 13, to form a tread, it being seen that the said end is enlarged for this purpose. Under the said tread end of the tongue is mounted a vertically disposed coiled spring 14, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 or as shown in Fig. 3 a flat spring 15 may be employed for the same purpose. The rear end of the tongue is adapted to be depressed by the foot of the driver or occupant of the vehicle to elevate the front end and release the liftingstrap 2 to permit the weight 1 to be lowered, and when the said tongue is released theroughened surfaces 10 and 12 bite the said strap 2 and prevent the latter from slipping. When the weight is on the ground and the animal or animals of a vehicle attempt to start 01f, it draws upon the hitching strap 3 and stops them. When the weight is not in use as a means of hitching the animals, the tongue 9 is again depressed by the foot and the upper exposed end of the strap is drawn upwardly through the clamp to pull the weight upwardly under the bottom of the vehicle, thereby producing considerable slack in the hitching-strap 3 and leaving the animals free to be driven. The straps 2 and 3 are so adjusted as to pull directly on the bit of the animal when the said animal attempts to draw forward, and when the animal backs the vertically-positioned strap 2 draws the weight back therewith and slackens the strap 3, thereby making a secure hitching attachment in two directions of movement wherein the one does not in the least interfere or counteract the action of the other.

The opening 5 through the bottom of the vehicle is lined with metal, as at 17, to obviate wear, and also the upper free end of the strap 2 is provided with one or more eyelets 18, whereby it may be conveniently attached to a book 19, located in the bottom of the vehicle to thereby hold the upper loose end of the strap.

In Fig. 4 the construction and arrangement of the parts of the device are shown reversed or inverted and as being secured to the under side of the body of the vehicle. In this instance an extra opening 20 is formed in the bed bottom in addition to the opening through which the lifting-strap 2 is passed. The end of the tongue 21, in this instance, is extended upwardly through the said opening, is springactuated to normally force a head 22 formed thereon against an adjacently-situated biting surface to hold the said lifting-strap in elevated position or permit the same to be lowered, as shown in Fig. 1.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is- The combination with a vehicle body having an opening, an open U-shaped plate or frame secured to the body and provided with a vertical flange at three of its sides, said frame surrounding the opening in the body, and the end flange provided with an inclined roughened binding surface, a foot-lever fulcrumed between its ends and between the side flanges, and having one end provided with a roughened binding head for contacting with the surface and its opposite end terminating in a treadle, said treadle being located between and inclosed by the flanges at the sides of the plate or frame, and a spring for normally pressing the binding-head upon the treadle, of a strap secured to the body, passed through the opening therein, and between the head and binding surface to a point below the body, a weight connected with the strap, a guide-eye at the front end of the strap, and a hitching-rein passed through the guideeye and connected directly to the weight, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my sfgnatu re in the presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH L. CROWLEY.

Witnesses:

R. H. NESMITH, E. E. BURK. 

